The Mechanics of Magic
by LiaLox
Summary: AU where the peace treaty happened when Noct was 15 and he was given a special MT created by Niflheim as a present to commemorate that joyous day. (Prompto/Noctis) Prompto is designed to be controllable through an App. They grow up together like this, and 5 years later, the road trip is very, very different. This time, there's more stupid stuff to get them into trouble. Promptis


Author's Note: Based on my desire for an MT!Prompto AU with little to no angst. Tricky. It's a story about a sex doll, but there's no sex involved but I still wanted it to be racy. Trickier. I can't write smut, okay? I might imply it, but I swear it's safe in that sense. What is this story, even. Spacing is weird here on this website, I recommend taking a look at it from Archive of Our Own. Same title and author.

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

"How is he a present, Dad?" A 15-year-old Prince Noctis poked at the blonde boy his age sleeping a little too soundly on one of the ornate chairs of his room. Instead of the bowtie that should've complimented his black and white formal wear, a gift ribbon adorned the base of his collar. His skin was pale and flawless; it seemed as though he'd never seen the light of day.

"Each country has different values, Noctis," King Regis began. "Niflheim has far more… freedom when concerning human rights. To bring such a gift in honour of the peace treaty is no doubt a test. If we don't accept, it is the same as saying we don't accept their values. To decline may very well imply that Lucis declines the treaty."

"Sounds hardcore," Noctis noted. His poking never stopped, but the boy didn't even so much as stir.

"The imperials certainly are," King Regis sighed. "This gift was presented to you. Take good care of him, lest war break out once more."

"Right…" Noctis sighed too, as his father left. Might as well get this over with.

He booted up the app on the phone, and was instantly greeted with a tiny pixelated… Ardyn Izunia? Why is the chancellor of Niflheim on this thing?

 _/ Hellooooo! Thank you for purchasing model_ _0H4P-66X5!_

 _/ Would you like to give your unit a name?_

 _/ Yes - No_

Noctis clicked "No". He was just gonna ask the sunshine-deprived looking kid when he figures out how to wake him.

 _/ Would you like to read the instruction manual on the uses of model 0H4P-66X5?_

 _/ Yes - No_

No. Who reads the instructions?

 _/ Would you like to change application settings, such as colour, text size, theme and-_

Godammit, NO already.

 _/ Excellent! I hope you enjoy model 0H4P-66X5. Ta-ta!_

Pixelated Izunia did a wave, then a bow and disappeared. The screen was replaced with a myriad of buttons and dials. Noctis instantly eyed the one that said "wake/sleep". With a quick circular motion of his thumb the arrow on the dial was set from "sleep" to "wake".

The boy flinched hard enough to wake himself up. Truthfully, Noctis flinched at the sudden motion too, but weird-gift-boy didn't seem to notice as he looked around in awe of the room. Every corner of it was intricate, yet clean and modern. Suited for a modern day Prince.

"Are… are you my new owner? Uh… sir." When Noctis didn't reply, the boy found the answer on the screen of the phone. "Y-you must be Prince Noctis. It's a pleasure to be of service… y-your highness."

He did a quick bow from his seat.

"Ugh, don't you start on the Highness-ing too," Noctis groaned. "What's your name?"

The boy hesitated. "0H4P-66X5. X5 for short."

"That's not a name," Noctis grumbled. "I'm not going to call you by a number."

"Then," He seemed visibly relieved by this news, and grinned. "Call me Prompto."

"Okay then, Prompto," Noctis began. "What exactly am I supposed to do with you? Why did the empire give you to me?"

Prompto just shrugged. "You can do anything you want with me. But if you're into… certain stuff, can you please turn down my pain receptors? I freak out easy as it is. And as for your second question, I dunno."

"Into certain stuff?" Noctis made the mistake of asking.

"Rich people are into all sorts of weird thrills. A lot of them involve getting other people hurt. I… I think I was actually made to be um… a very elaborate sex doll," Prompto looked away, his face beet red. "You can, um, use me like that if you, uh, want."

It's a good thing Noctis declined the celebratory champagne that came with his gift, because he definitely would've spat it out. "Is that what _you_ want?"

"Dude," Prompto shook his head. "I just want to be friends."

* * *

It's been 5 years since that day. Noctis and Prompto are now 20 years old, and the situation is still every bit as awkward as it was years ago. Prompto's face was now lined with freckles from being in the sun too often. Noctis was just as disinterested with his political position as always. This time, he didn't have being a kid as an excuse and had to skip out on diplomacy. Like it or not, he was supposed to exert independence and visit all the towns/cities in Lucis, much like what Lady Lunafreya was doing.

"Look," Noctis began matter-of-factly. "I'm supposed to do this as independently as I possibly can. Which means I can only bring one person with me, max."

"Aww, do I have to?" Prompto kicked at the air, tummy down on one of Noct's couches. "Why not get Iggy or Gladio to come with you? They're better at this stuff."

"Because an entire trip with either just Ignis or just Gladio will drive me up the wall. Ignis is a stick in the mud when it comes to this politics stuff and I can't survive camping every night with Gladio," Noctis finished the final touch ups of his outfit in front of the mirror. Pitch black; the colour of Lucian nobility. "So we're going. Chop, chop, Prompto."

"If you really want me to go, then make me," Prompto joked, tossing him a playful smile. That smile usually ends in a wrestling match when it was tossed to Gladio, but for Noct it was a wild card. It ranged from a round of King's Knight, to tickle fights, to a full on spar with real weapons.

"Okay, let's go," Noctis decided, pulling out his phone. He tapped a few times, and Prompto slowly slumped to the cushions, nearly dropping the phone he had been playing with to the marble floors. Maybe he'll get Gladio to move him to the car. Other guards here probably wouldn't understand that he meant this as a joke and that no, he wasn't actually forcing anyone against his will. Was he? He hasn't touched these controls in months (the last time at Prompto's request since he had trouble sleeping) and Prompto had definitely given him the _/I'm cool with this, but lemme give you a hard time/_ smile. It's probably fine.

It was an abnormal sort of sleep. Unlike when Prompto slept naturally, there were no dreams, no mumblings, and definitely no drowsy snuggles. His head tilted with a perfectly even sort of breathing and a stillness only the dead could replicate. Unless Noctis changed the settings on the app, the blonde wouldn't wake up under any circumstance. It was as though Prompto had just shut down.

First stop: Hammerhead. You could hardly call this a town; it was more like a pit stop between Insomnia and… well, any other place in Lucis, really. All it contained was a garage, an eatery and a few odd shops with its gas station. Noctis' role here was to make pleasantries and, as the official documents claim, develop a personal understanding of the circumstances and perspectives of civilians from various locations. A good King needs to know his citizens, after all.

"Get up, Prompto," Noctis finished fiddling with his phone and placed it in his pocket. "We're here."

"…Hm…? Ah." Prompto looked around confused for a moment, but his blue eyes lit up with realization. He stretched as he unbuckled himself from the passenger seat. "You totally just kidnapped me! I didn't think you'd actually do that."

"Oh really?"

"S'cause you hate using your authority." Prompto said simply, and Noctis knew that he was right. They hopped off the car. "Ever since we met five years ago, the sleeping button's been the only one you've ever used. And you hardly ever use it."

"Want me to make you have a nervous breakdown right now?" Noctis suggested, reaching for the controls that directly managed the other's neurons.

"Oh Noct," Prompto sighed dramatically. "My whole life is already one big nervous breakdown."

"Is that Prince Noctis?" A woman from a distance whispered to her friend. It wasn't discreet at all.

"Whoa, he's brought that Niff sex toy with him!" A man nudged someone else's shoulder. "Think they fuck in the car?"

Prompto let out a broken laugh at the mention of their accusations. Those words didn't bother them anymore; they've heard it too often in the past several years. Doesn't mean it's any less embarrassing when every pair of judgmental eyes within a 50 meter radius were suddenly sent their way.

 _Astrals, I want to die_. Noctis thought, brushing his hands through his midnight hair. Life is hard when your best friend is a sex doll. Gods, did he seriously just _think_ those words out loud? Noctis groaned as at the sheer embarrassment of putting those words together in his head.

"They wouldn't be rumours if we actually did that." Prompto offered in an attempt to console him. His eyebrows wiggled. "How about it? Nocty wanna do the nasty-nasty?"

"What happened to _dude I just want to be friends_?" Noctis glared at him.

" _Dude I just want to be friends_ still stands," Prompto folded his arms triumphantly. "But seriously, bro. You don't have to take me out of the Citadel if it's going to bother you this much."

"No, I want this," Noctis replied.

"You want to be bothered?" Prompto made a look as if he was making a mental note to himself.

"I meant, I want to hang out with my best friend," Noctis corrected him. "What the hell are these people going to do about it? I'm the Prince of Lucis."

"Do I get to eat today, Noct?" Prompto asked him pleadingly when they arrived at the next stop. A few glares were shot Prince Noctis' way, mainly from mothers whose instincts screamed at them to protect this baby chocobo-like child.

By the Six, why does he have to word things so that people would misunderstand? Maybe bringing Ignis or Gladio would actually have been better, considering the amount of glares he's gotten in a day have reached a new record.

Eating is actually unhealthy for Prompto; in Niflheim he had been powered by artificial magic (Magitek, they called it?) but since the crown Prince could fully utilize magic naturally, there was no need for a magitek generator to power him up. It wasn't that he would die if he ate too much; he'd just get fat and get a stomachache. It's like watching those lactose intolerant people who love cheese, but worse.

The memory of when Noctis first found out about this fact was burned in his mind.

* * *

"Prompto? Prompto!" Noctis rushed over when he saw the state the boy was in.

"Ahaha, looks like my Prince has arrived," Prompto laughed, but it was weak, and his whole body was weak, and he slumped to the bed in a weak attempt to sit upright. He was the very definition of weak, crumpled to the floor.

"This is what happens when you don't eat for days! Why didn't you take anything the staff gave you?" Noctis demanded.

"Didn't they give you an instruction manual or something?" Prompto closed his eyes. "I don't eat. Dunno how…"

"Wait, what? Why didn't you just tell me! Who reads the instruction manual!?" Noctis tried to shake him, but it was clear that the other had already passed out from fatigue. "Prompto!"

Noctis actually read an instruction manual that day. He cursed himself as he realized a very important component of the whole package was never left with him. Cursing even more, he placed a blue hand glowing with energy to Prompto's chest.

Prompto screamed, eyes blaring wide in panic.

"Calm down, calm down," Noctis hushed him, slowing down the magic flow to nearly a halt. He held Prompto's back for support, and the boy clutched at his shirt, breathing heavily. "Sorry this hurts. They never gave me a… a magitek generator? But my magic should work the same way. We'll take it slow. Just relax, okay?"

Prompto could barely nod as he trembled. Not like he had a choice. They kept at it until the tension loosened from his grip and he was able to relax into Noctis' arms.

"Prompto? You okay?" Noctis asked with a hint of dread. Did he pass out from the pain?

"Mhmm," Prompto hummed, burying his face this time into the other's chest. Noctis could feel his shirt soak the remnants of tears from the earlier outburst. "I think I get it. I was so tensed up that I think I might've made it painful for myself to absorb the magic. It's different from the usual. …Sorry for, uh, screaming."

"Don't be," Noctis murmured, motioning through soothing circles around his back.

* * *

And after that:

* * *

"This is how you eat." Noctis picked up a silver knife in one hand and a silver fork in the other. He sliced the finely garnished piece of meat with ease and popped it into his mouth. After some exaggerated chewing, he swallowed.

"Um yeah, I know that much. But isn't it weird to like, put a heated animal corpse in your mouth?" Prompto reeled back in disgust. "…Gross, is that supposed to be raw in the middle?"

"It's called a steak, Prompto," Noctis explained. "Why don't you try the dessert, then?"

"…Are you sure this won't get stuck in my throat? It smells good, but why does it look like poo?" After much hesitation, Prompto had taken a small slice of double chocolate cake and lifted a bite-sized portion to his face. His hands were clumsy and he held the fork awkwardly. It was bizarre to see a 15-year-old act like he's never held utensils before… except it wasn't an act, and this really was the first time he's held a fork in his life.

"If you really don't want to eat it, then don't," The Prince offered, finishing his meal. "But I mean it when I say you'll enjoy it."

Prompto just sighed, held his breath, and put the cake in his mouth. Noctis thought he'd never see an expression brighter than the one Prompto wore that day.

* * *

"You just want to hit up the Crow's Nest, don't you?" Noctis asked, shaking his head as if to shake the memory away.

"Yup!" Prompto beamed.

"Then no," Noctis said firmly, and got a long, disappointed _awwwww_ as a reply. Sighing, Noctis dragged him into a corner, away from the public eye, and took him by the hands.

"What are you… wah!" Prompto gasped as he felt magic flow into him and envelop his whole being. He slumped towards the prince for support and let his magic consume his senses; it would only hurt if he resisted. He breathed in slowly. The sensation was almost pleasurable, but it always left him dizzy and a little weak in the knees.

Noctis knew that of course, and did it randomly sometimes just to mess with him. Maybe Prompto wasn't aware of it, but there was just something about the way his whole body would relax against his own and his face would flush while his heart beat noticeably faster that Noctis… liked? He wasn't sure.

" _Noct_ ," Prompto whimpered, signaling for the other to stop. He tried to give the Prince's hands a squeeze, but the effects of the magic flow forced him to stay limp. If this went on for too long, he'd be overclocked with magic, and his eyes would turn red. It was similar to how Noctis' eyes would change colour when he called to the Astrals. Except in Prompto's case, thinking became difficult.

"Figured you were hungry, err… tired. Whatever it is," Noctis shrugged, stopping the flow of magic. Prompto allowed his butt to crash to the ground, and crossed his legs. He seriously needed to sit after that.

"Dude, you're messing with me," Prompto accused, after taking a moment to get himself together. "You know you don't need to do that after I got Sworn into your magic!"

Noctis only grinned, holding out his hands to help him up. "Consider it a bit of payback."


End file.
